Devices adapted to be worn on the forehead of a person to shade the eyes of the wearer are well known in the art. It is also well known to provide such devices with an elongated pad of absorbing material in contact with the forehead of the wearer to absorb perspiration, as disclosed in the hereabove referred to copending application. It is also known to provide caps which may be adjustably secured about the head of the wearer by means of material such as that known under the trademark VELCRO, which has a self-engaging quality, as taught in British patent specification No. 1,019,556.
Eye shades or visors are made of flexible or rigid material, either opaque or transparent, although when transparent the visor is generally colored, and they are held on the forehead by means of an elastic or semi-rigid adjustable band passed over the back of the head and maintaining the shade or visor about the forehead of the wearer. The forehead portion of the visor consists generally of a substantially narrow band which results in appreciable pressure being applied to the wearer's forehead, thus causing appreciable discomfort. When it is desired to combine one of such eye shades or visors with a conventional head gear such as a cap, hat or the like, considerable annoyance and difficulties are encountered.
The inconveniences of the eyes shades of the prior art are remedied by the cap of the present invention which, as a result of being provided with a substantially wide, curved forehead portion lined with a resilient, absorbent material, provides substantially broad area engagement with the forehead of the wearer, thus resulting in a stable and comfortable forehead support. The resilient, absorbent lining further contributes to the comfort of the wearer by absorbing perspiration and by providing a soft contact with the forehead. The visor portion and the forehead portion being molded of a substantially rigid piece of material, preferably plastic material, are substantially resistant to impact, such impact being further partially absorbed by the resilient cushioning provided by the lining. The invention therefore acts not only as an eye shade and cap, but also as an impact protective device for a substantial portion of the wearer's head.
A further advantage of the present invention resides in providing an interchangeable crown portion which may be removably affixed to the forehead portion of the visor by means of adhesive or, alternatively, by means of self-engaging material. The invention results in a simply manufactured device with the additional benefit of a crown portion that may be varied to suit the taste and dress of the wearer. The use of a self-engaging material, such as that known under the trademark VELCRO, to secure the head gear about the wearer's head provides the additional benefit of a cap which is easily adjusted to the wearer's head, without the inconvenience of adjusting straps having a loose end hanging from the cap in a manner which is unsightly as well as annoying, and which permits a considerable reduction in inventory as compared to the inventory required in stocking conventional caps of various sizes.